Mazda Bongo

The Mazda Bongo (Japanese: マツダ・ボンゴ, Hepburn: Matsuda Bongo), also known as Mazda E-Series, Eunos Cargo, and the Ford Econovan, is a cabover van and pickup truck manufactured by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Mazda since 1966. The Bongo name was also used for the Bongo Friendee, which is not a cabover design.

It has been built with rear-, middle-, as well as front-mounted engines. It also formed the basis for the long-running Kia Bongo range. It is named for the African Bongo, a type of antelope.

Mazda first introduced its small van, the Bongo, in May 1966. It featured a rear-mounted 782 cc water-cooled OHV SA 4-stroke engine driving the rear wheels. The rear-engined Bongo was produced in two versions from 1968, as the F800 was joined by the bigger-engined F1000. This has a 987 cc PB overhead valve inline-four engine with 48 PS (35 kW) at 5500 rpm. The chassis code for the 1-litre model is FPA. Its dimensions were 3,770 mm (148 in) long, 1,500 mm (59 in) wide, 1,700 mm (67 in) height, with a wheelbase of 2,000 mm (79 in), and Vehicle weight of 885 kg (1,951 lb) (commercial delivery van) 910 kg (2,006 lb) (passenger coach), and 775 kg (1,709 lb) (cab-over truck). Mazda also showed an electrically powered version of the van, which could reach 75 km/h (47 mph), and with a 60 km (37 mi) range. but wasn't put into production, and remained a prototype. The engines were shared with Mazda's Familia small car range. Production ended in 1975, due to Mazda suffering serious economic troubles, and upcoming stricter emissions regulations for 1976, influenced by the original United States Federal Clean Air Act of 1963. This model retained the same body shape for its 10-year production life, the later models fitted with inertia-reel seat belts, and separate front parking indicator lights.

The rear-engined Bongos had a full chassis (using the same Mazda 1000 engine as other variants mounted to a four-speed transaxle at the rear), and were very strong, and due to the low gearing, able to carry half a ton. Due to rust and poor maintenance, these Bongos are now rare. The 1000 pickup which was built for commercial uses, and the cargo and passenger vans all used a double wishbone and coil spring suspension for the front wheels, and a trailing-arm suspension and coil springs at the rear wheels.

Due to the popularity of the Bongo, Mazda decided to manufacture a minibus, called the Mazda Parkway starting in 1974 until 1997, shared with the larger Mazda Titan truck platform.

After a two-year hiatus, the next Bongo van appeared in September 1977. It was a mid-engine rear wheel drive vehicle. Ford sold this version of the van as the Ford Econovan, while Mazda sold it for export as the E1300, E1400, and E1600, depending on engine size. Beginning in October 1979 a 2.2-litre diesel engine was also available in commercial versions, sold in export as the E2200. This appeared in the passenger version "Bongo Multi Wagon" in February 1980. The Bongo Multi Wagon had originally been sold with a 1.8-liter petrol engine only. This model went on sale in Great Britain in 1982 as the E1600, only a year before it was replaced by the next generation. The British market only received the long wheelbase 1-tonne panel van version with small, twinned rear wheels, and a five-speed manual gearbox with a column-mounted shifter.

This generation was also manufactured by Kia in South Korea, as the Kia Bongo and Ceres. The Bongo/Ceres underwent a number of facelifts, and was still available as late as 1999.

The original version has round headlights, and no grille; after a January 1981 facelift the second generation Bongo/E-series had rectangular headlights, and a more traditional grille. The first generation of the Bongo was the best-selling Mazda vehicle from its introduction until 1981, when it was surpassed by the front-wheel drive Mazda Familia.